Equi-axed growth and related segregations in cast metallic alloys

Full-scale trials of DC ingots and laboratory scale directional solidification experiments have been performed to study the effect of grain structure on macro-segregation in industrial cast products. An Al alloy sheet ingot was cast with constant casting conditions (speed, superheat, cooling rate) except for the grain refiner: the first half of the ingot was non-inoculated, while the second half was inoculated. The results indicate that the extent and intensity of the centreline segregation is modified via the grain-refinement treatment: the finer the grains are, the more intense is the macro-segregation.Numerical simulations of directional solidification of binary Al-Cu alloys have been carried out with the help of a 2D finite volume software which takes account of the movement of the liquid with respect to the solid in the mushy zone. It is possible to account for the segregation pattern of the directionally solidified ingots that exhibit columnar or coarse equi-axed grain structures. Contrarily, the intense segregation of the fine-grained ingots is not yet understood.